Kym Marsh recalls struggling to make ends meet as a single mum before fame: ‘Times were difficult, but we managed’

Kym Marsh has been open about her struggles as a single mum (Picture: Instagram)

Kym Marsh has spoken candidly about her money struggles while raising her eldest children.

The former Coronation Street star – who recently competed in Strictly Come Dancing – is a mum to David, now 27, and daughter Emilie, now 25, whom she shares with ex Dave Cunliffe.

And while Kym – who also shares Polly, 11, and late son Archie with Jamie Lomas – is now a star of stage and screen, she wasn’t always so well off.

Before her rise to fame in the band Hear’Say in 2001, she found it ‘tricky’ to get money together to look after her family each week.

Assuring her children never went without, she told Prima magazine: ‘They were well-clothed and fed, although they didn’t have any luxuries. Sometimes it was tricky getting money together for the week.’

Kym continued: ‘When Emilie was a baby, my sister, Tracey, and I would sometimes go halves on a bag of nappies.’

Kym shares daughter Emilie, 25, with ex Dave Cunliffe, whom she split from in 1999 (Picture: Instagram)

The actress found it ‘tricky’ to get by financially while raising eldest son David, now 27 (Picture: Instagram)

‘I’d also take the kids to mum’s if we didn’t have enough money to top up the electric meter.’

‘Times were difficult, but we managed, and I made it work,’ she said.

Kym has spoken about her upbringing in the past, sharing her struggles growing up on a council estate before becoming pregnant as an 18-year-old.

The soap star admitted she lived on ‘£80 a week in rented accommodation’ with her two kids, trying to make ends meet.

The former Coronation Street star assures her children never went without anything (Picture: Prima UK/Nicky Johnston)

Kym opened up in her interview with Prima magazine (Picture: Prima UK/Nicky Johnston)

Now, Kym is married to Army Major Scott Ratcliff, whom she wed in October 2021.

The Waterloo Road actress wants to ‘set a good example’ to her children and grandchildren, and is loving being in a relationship with a husband who ‘takes care of her.’

And while the couple don’t live together, as Scott lives on an army barracks from Monday to Friday, he’s always making an effort to go and see her.

In fact, her other half laughed off rumours of the so-called Strictly curse last year, feeling under absolutely no threat from Kym’s pro dance partner Graziano Di Prima.

The Strictly star is now married to Scott Ratcliff, after they wed in October 2021 (Picture: Instagram)

Kym and Graziano Di Prima were the 10th couple eliminated from the 2022 series (Picture: PA)

‘I know everyone talks about it [the curse] but Scott really couldn’t care less,’ Kym previously said.

‘I’m an actor and he came and watched me on Fatal Attraction where I took my clothes off on stage, which was pretty daunting.’

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Kym added: ‘He’s just supportive and has already brought us closer together. We usually only see each other on weekends as he is based at Sandhurst in the week while I’m up in Manchester, so me being down south so often actually means we are closer.’

Alas, the glitter ball wasn’t meant to be Kym’s, as she and Italian professional Graziano were the 10th pair to be eliminated, with Hamza Yassin going on to lift the trophy.

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‘My sister and I would go halves on a bag of nappies.’